WINNER! Exhibitor Magazines Sizzle Award
Overview
Avocados From Mexico (AFM) is the largest producer of avocados in the world and the top supplier to the U.S. market. To engage audiences with innovative avocado recipes and new usage ideas, AFM enlisted IMW to develop a first-of-its kind avocado self-serving food experience. The futuristic, interactive “Avo-Matic” machine includes a flavorful menu that changes throughout the day to highlight recipe innovation and new day parts such as breakfast. The Avo-Matic places attendees in the chef’s role, allowing them to create an avocado dish with thousands of combination possibilities, driven by their personal selections and preferences.
Challenge
As the avocado category leader, AFM is continually pushing the boundaries of innovation for the produce industry. AFM wanted to introduce a buzz-worthy food experience at the largest produce industry show of the year, The Produce Marketing Association’s “Fresh Summit Expo,” held October 14-16, 2016 in Orlando, FL. To highlight the brand’s innovation and leadership, IMW developed the Avo-Matic as a focal point of AFM’s 50’x40’ booth exhibit.
Results
We converted a shipping container into the Avo-Matic, which served as an “automated vending machine” that provided guests with their own personalized avocado creations. Here’s how it worked:
• Visitors stepped up to the Avo-Matic and interacted with a touchscreen to place their customized order for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner.
• They then saw a short video featuring the Avo-Matic Chef Robot who explained the Enter-To-Win Promotion and served up a collection of aggregated Instagram photos centered around #AvoMatic.
• Within just a few moments, their order was delivered to the pick-up window.
Booth traffic increased by 40% to over 15,000 visitors, and over 5,484 avocados were consumed in dishes customized to each visitor’s requests. The brand also collected important consumer data for future engagement and promotional offers. The Avo-Matic continues engaging audiences and will make its next appearance at the SXSW show in March 2017 in Austin, TX.
Insight
Time is scarce for PMA show attendees with over 1,000 booths to explore. Therefore, it was important to create a buzz-generating experience to capture their interest. By introducing an interactive, customizable food experience that had never been done before, we were able to draw people’s attention and leave a fun, memorable impression.
